


O Holy Night

by heytheregisela



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Fluff, GTA AU, Implied Smut, M/M, Mavin, One Shot, Raywood, Some angst, much more cute than expected, sort of Christmasy but not entirely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5547329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytheregisela/pseuds/heytheregisela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael and Gavin meet on Christmas eve. Michael is a proud enemy of Gavin’s boss, and maybe that’s why Michael easily gives into the temptation of a one night stand with Gavin. But like every other one night stand he’s had, Michael expected to be up and gone before Gavin. He wanted to leave it as a mere good memory and satisfaction that he practically slept with the enemy. </p><p>And yet, a year later, he's still waking up with Gavin next to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	O Holy Night

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being a monster to finish. I couldn't even finish it in time for Christmas Eve or day!! But oh welll, because it wasn't that Christmasy to begin with. It's mostly just my way of getting out the need to write struggles between the babes. But then again, this also ended up being much more sweet than I had originally hoped. It's like not angsty at all anymore. I'm going to have to make up for that with a different one shot, I think. Haha. Anyway, happy holidays, everyone!!
> 
> Also, this is obviously tilted after the song, but more specifically [this version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4TKznzXlyI).

_December 24 th, 2014_

If there was anyone in the world that Michael Jones could honestly admit he cared about, it would have to be no one. From the moment he snuck out of the home his parents raised him in, he made himself a promise. It was a promise to not bother with caring for anyone but himself, and only himself. For the past six years, he’d been accomplishing that goal just fine. It made wandering the streets of Los Santos a carefree experience—especially when he was the one causing the chaos. There was no one he had to worry about keeping alive, no one he had to worry about getting hurt. It was just himself he had to protect and that was enough for him.

He knew very well of the people with their eyes set on him as they plotted his fatal death. Yet here he was, unharmed and alive. It seems he was too quick for the enemy’s plans, or he was just _that_ good at outsmarting the all-too _fearful_ boss he always heard so much about. Apparently the rumors were just that— _rumors_. If someone were really on that high of a level, enough to make innocent little citizens cower at just the mere sight of their shadow, then Michael would be dead already.

Oh, but Michael understood the game well.

Sometimes the enemy liked to prolong the progress to cause their target to let down their guard. But for years? No, they wouldn’t prolong it for that long. The answer simply was that the leader of the most wanted and hated crew in Los Santos was certainly not living up to his own name. It was a shame really, but Michael was proud that out of all of Ramsey’s enemies, he was the one that couldn’t be killed. He was the one that kept getting away, and he was flattered Ramsey still hadn’t given up on him.

With a grin slowly forming on his face, Michael pulled his phone out of his coat’s pocket and forcefully resisted a laugh as he dialed a number he had memorized. It only rang a few times before there was an answer.

“…Hello?”

It was practically a Cheshire cat smile that Michael had now. “Just calling to wish you a Merry Christmas.” There was a long pause on the other end, one that had Michael giggling under his breath.

“How the fuck did you get this number? Of all the numbers I have, this is the _last_ one you should have gotten.”

“Oh, you sound angry there, Geoff.”

“How. Did. You—”

“I can’t believe that after _all_ this time, you still underestimate me. I’m a little offended, Geoffrey.”

Michael heard Ramsey groan and huff under his breath his breath, along with the man mumbling, “I’m not getting anywhere with you, kid.” Which made Michael laugh again.

“Why the fuck are you calling?” Geoff simply asked.

“I guess I just felt like reminding you that I’m ready for anything else you try. And I can’t wait to see what it is. For now, enjoy your night. Happy holidays and uh, happy new year,” with that, Michael hung up the call before Geoff could give his response. And it was then that he allowed his full on laugh to come out.

“What’s so funny, mate?” Michael halted in his tracks at that, his smile immediately faltering. He spun around and furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of a man—his age, messy light brown hair, green eyes that he could only clearly see because of the street light nearby, and he also had a slightly large nose. But the two things that caught Michael’s attention the most was the accent he had… and his clothes.

The stranger was certainly one of wealth, which never meant anything good in Los Santos. If someone had money there, the way he earned it was never innocent. Michael felt his fingers twitch with the urge to reach underneath his brown leather jacket and grab the pistol hidden there. One of the ways to earn money was to do what he did: kill, steal, and repeat.

Michael narrowed his eyes at him and the stranger smiled sweetly in return.

“I won’t pretend here—I know who you are, _Mogar_.”

Michael didn’t flinch. In fact, he didn’t react in any way. This wasn’t the first time anyone recognized him and called him out on it, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Therefore, he merely shrugged and asked, “Should I know who you are?”

The stranger pursed his lips as he appeared to think about it, but then he just shook his head. “No, I don’t make myself as known as my boss—who, by the way, I just heard you talking with.”

At that, Michael did react with a slight widen of his eyes, which did amuse the man. Michael quickly recovered himself and sighed. “Wasn’t expecting to meet another Fake AH Crew idiot anytime soon, but it’s _nice_ to meet you.” He forced a smile upon his face. “What do I call you?”

The Brit tilted his head, his eyes looking over every little detail on Michael’s face. “You’re welcome to call me anything you’d like, love,” he purred. Despite being face-to-face with his enemy, Michael could still concentrate on other things, enough to identify what that expression and tone meant.

He’d heard it plenty of times on plenty of nights where he’d go out to a club with the intention to blow off some steam. And sometimes, he would end up waking up the next morning in someone else’s bed, because that particular someone gave him that exact expression in the club. That mixed with the alcohol in his system usually pushed him into giving into temptation. There was no harm in it, because there were no feelings attached, and there never would be. He always left before the sun was done rising.

Right now, however, he was sober and this wasn’t a random person that didn’t know who he was. This was someone that knew of him very well and knew how badly his boss wanted him dead. And perhaps… perhaps the two of them meeting like this wasn’t a coincidence. Ramsey had to have sent him. But if that were the case, why would he give up the information that he was a part of the Fake AH Crew so quickly? Was it to throw Michael off even more? Michael wouldn’t doubt it.

Either way, he wasn’t interested. Really, he just wanted to head home and actually sleep through the night without any distractions. No oddly-attractive British guy was going to lure him to his death that easily.

Without a word, Michael turned on his heel and began walking off.

“Wha-wait!” He heard the Brit call out to him.

“Go away,” Michael called back, rolling his eyes. To add to his annoyance, he could hear the rapid footsteps following him. Great.

“I understand that you and Geoff aren’t exactly on the best terms-”

“Yeah, that’s putting it lightly,” Michael interjected.

“-but I’m not here to cause you any trouble. I just happened to see you and thought I’d try talking to you, to see how you really are.”

“How the fuck am I _not_ supposed to be suspicious of you when you say shit like that?”

 “I’m serious!”

“ _Why_ would you want to get to know me?” Michael quickened his steps and huffed when he heard the Brit do the same.

“I only know who you are through Geoff’s perspective, and he _hates_ you. But I’m not too sure that you’re really the man he describes you to be.”

Michael abruptly stopped and turned around, causing the stranger to skid to halt before running into him. “How does he describe me?” Michael demanded.

“I can’t say any more about him. I’m already in enough trouble for being here and talking to you.”

“Then leave.”

“I’ve been wanting to find a way to talk to you for a while now; I’m not going to just leave!”

Michael snorted. “Are you sure you’re with the Fake AH Crew? Because the way people describe you guys is _terrifying_ and you… well, you’re definitely not even intimidating, or did I miss something?” The Brit grinned crookedly and Michael was even more taken aback.

“I mostly work behind the scenes, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t protect myself if I wanted to.”

Michael squinted his eyes as an idea struck his mind. In one swift move, he reached underneath his jacket and yanked out his gun. But the next thing he knew, he was up against the wall, face first, arms pinned behind him and gun on the floor. After he released exactly what had occurred, he let out a drawled out sigh.

“Alright, you made your point. Let go of me,” he growled.

“You aren’t very good at that. I could tell it was exactly what you wanted to do since you saw me.”

Michael scrunched up his nose and pushed himself off the wall with all of his strength, and it was enough to free himself and push the stranger away from him. The Brit stumbled backwards a bit and Michael used the short moment to pick his gun back up from the ground. There was no hesitance as he took his aim, a motion he’d grown comfortably used to. At first, he expected the Brit to beg for his life, or for Ramsey to pop out of nowhere and shoot him.

But neither happened.

Instead, the Brit smiled at him and said, “Gavin.”

Michael blinked. “ _What_?”

“My name’s Gavin.”

Again, Michael blinked, and tensed a little. “Of all the stupid names you could give yourself, you chose that?”

Gavin gawked at him, but then he furrowed his eyebrows. “It’s funny that someone who calls themselves _Mogar_ judges me for _my_ name.”

“At least _Mogar_ doesn’t sound fucking boring like _Gavin_ does. ‘Mogar’ makes me sound exciting.”

“Oh?” Gavin’s eyebrows shot up as he cocked his head to the side. Michael’s lips parted as he watched Gavin start to approach him slowly. What the fuck was this idiot doing? Didn’t he see the gun Michael was pointing directly at his face?

“Don’t fucking move. I can kill you _right_ here and _right_ now,” Michael threatened through his gritted teeth.

“I’m sure that would be a good slap to the face for Geoff, too,” Gavin agreed as he continued to step forward. “But you aren’t going to shoot me.” Michael barked out a laugh, loud enough to draw attention of people nearby.

“Don’t underestimate what I’m capable of.”

“Oh, I’m not saying you aren’t capable of murdering me, love. I’m sure you’d enjoy doing _awful_ things to me to make sure I die a _long_ and _painful_ death, but I can see that you don’t really want to kill me right now,” Gavin was just mere inches from his forehead touching the tip of Michael’s gun, and Michael knew he was practically gaping back at him.

In the years that he had been in Los Santos and the many times he found himself in this exact kind of situation, he had never seen anyone be so fearless of their possible death like this. It was frustrating. Michael squeezed his eyebrows together, but Gavin was right. There was never a second thought in killing someone, because it was so simple. Michael would shoot, stab, or blow them up, and his problems would be solved—to a certain extent.

But here was this idiot, walking right into the one thing that could end his life in seconds. And he wasn’t afraid. Not even with Michael sneering at him and clutching tightly onto gun. Not even with the string of threats spewing from Michael’s mouth. Gavin was absolutely right. If Michael wanted him dead so badly, he would already be dead. As Gavin had said, it would be a good slap to the fact to Geoff—to kill one of his own men. But Michael felt that was just too easy. That was something he could have done so long ago. He never took the easy route. Where was the fun in that?

Michael didn’t even realize he hadn’t moved or said anything until he felt Gavin’s hand on his, the one holding the gun up. Much to his own surprise, he didn’t try stopping Gavin from putting his hand down, causing the gun to point downward. And he certainly didn’t turn away when Gavin lips brushed against his.

But he did eventually speak up. “What the hell are you doing?” He barely managed to choke out, his eyes wide and his eyebrows furrowed.

“The one thing Geoff failed to say about you all this time was how gorgeous you are,” Gavin whispered as he pressed a small kiss to the corner of Michael’s lips. “Then again, I suppose you aren’t really his type—well, in a way, you are,” he pulled away slightly to grin deviously and Michael rolled his eyes.

Okay, maybe this one time, he could take the easy route. He started raising his gun again, but he was stopped by Gavin gently cupping his face and whispering, “If you didn’t know who I was, I don’t think you would be doing that.”

“There you fucking go—underestimating me again. I _know_ Geoff has told you _exactly_ why he would love to see me dead at his hands, so I _know_ you know better than to think so little of me.”

Gavin pursed his lips and it was then that Michael realized his eyelids were hooded. Raising an eyebrow, Gavin nodded and said, “Oh, Mogar, I understand. You’re not somebody I would want to anger.” Michael narrowed his eyes, but it was the smile Gavin flashed him that made him momentarily forget his next move.

The smile was so… innocent and pure despite the tone of his voice, and it made goosebumps rise on Michael’s arms. Michael raised an eyebrow slowly as his eyes shifted down to Gavin’s lips.

“Too late,” he whispered, and he almost bit down on his bottom lip to see how Gavin’s eyes darkened with nothing else but lust. He opened his mouth to say another remark, yet he silenced himself completely as he noticed Gavin leaning in. For a second, just a second, he believed Gavin wouldn’t do anything, or that (again) Ramsey would actually show up and kill him then and there.

He was wrong about both.

Their lips roughly met in neediness, excitement, and frustration. Michael’s free hand immediately found its way to the back of Gavin’s head as he began to kiss back with the same amount of force Gavin was giving him.

All too suddenly, Gavin broke free from the kiss and Michael groaned. That seemed to amuse Gavin since he deviously smirked. Then he also began to take a few steps away from Michael, but not after nodding in a particular direction.

And Michael followed without any hesitation.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

As always, like a natural reflex, Michael opened his eyes to dim surroundings. He turned his head slightly on the pillow to see that the sun was only starting to rise—a sight he saw each time he woke from one of these nights. As quietly as possible, he started to sit up and get out of the strange bed. He could see his jeans were on the ground at the foot of the bed, and just as he walking over to retrieve them, he heard a groan come from the left side of the bed.

Michael was going to ignore him and continue to silently dress himself, but he flinched at the sound of his voice.

“Sneaking out on me, love? You aren’t very good at that.”

Michael rolled his eyes dramatically before turning his head to look at him. Gavin was lying on his side now, his thin sheets barely covering him below the stomach. Michael could just sense that he was purposely leaving nothing to the imagination.

“Go back to sleep,” Michael simply told him, glancing down to button and zip up his jeans. But the fact that he could _feel_ Gavin’s eyes lingering on his bare back made him sigh deeply and say, “It’s fucking creepy that you’re just staring at me when I’m trying to get dressed.”

Gavin dropped his gaze, a smirk slowly making its way onto his face. “Why bother with clothes when we can just lie naked together for a while?”

Michael scoffed, but then he laughed—loud and with the lack of joy. “Because what we did last night was a one-time deal, and I’m ready to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“It doesn’t have to end so fast, does it?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Why, because I work for Geoff?”

Michael paused from lifting his shirt off the floor to think about it. “Kind of,” he mumbled.

“Kind of? What else is there to it, then?” Gavin questioned, head tilting to the side like some kind of confused puppy. Michael chose that moment to look at him again and he almost regretted it. He also found himself at a loss for words and Gavin found himself growing impatient.

“I guess I don’t really want to spend Christmas alone this year,” he admitted with a shrug. Michael’s eyes widened at that.

“Alone? Don’t you spend it with everyone else?”

Gavin laughed lightly and shook his head. “They have their own plans. We aren’t tied to the hip.”

“Well, sorry about that, but I’ve spent Christmas alone for years now, too. It’s not that bad. It’s just another day,” Michael spoke as he pulled his shirt down over his head. Gavin’s face slowly fell, but he nodded.

“Yeah.”

Michael frowned, his eyebrows twitching together as he watched Gavin rest his head back on the pillow and cover himself further with the sheets. He opened his mouth to say something to him, but he immediately gave up that idea and took a step back. _What the fuck is wrong with you? Just leave already_. With that, he swallowed hard and picked up his shoes from the floor and started heading toward the bedroom door.

“Merry Christmas, Mogar,” Gavin said to him, voice soft. Michael halted for a moment. He had almost forgotten that Gavin didn’t know his real name, but then again, he was sure “Gavin” wasn’t his real name anyway. So, they were even.

Michael glanced over his shoulder and nodded at him before walking out. As he walked past the living room and saw the front door in his sights, he began to think, and that never turned out well. Okay, so, last night was definitely great. Normally he enjoyed being the one in control, but he had found it difficult to care about Gavin being the one on top, and making him practically _scream_. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt that good, but so what? It meant absolutely nothing except for the fact that Gavin was really good at knowing exactly what Michael liked.

And… _maybe_ sleeping with the enemy (basically) was kind of _really_ exciting, so it just made the sex feel even better than it usually did. And just the thought of Geoff finding out, oh it was beautiful. Michael _almost_ felt a little cruel because of how satisfying that thought was to him. But that’s when the idea hit him and he halted completely in his tracks.

What if… just _what if_ … Gavin and him… began to have a thing, an actual _thing_ between them? And what if that thing kept Gavin away from the Fake AH Crew _just a bit_ , just enough to make Geoff notice after a while? And what if Geoff eventually figures out that the _one_ person taking his precious crew member away is the _one_ person he hates most. Well, that definitely sounded sweeter to Michael than simply taking the easy and boring route by just killing Gavin.

As the corners of his lips rose, Michael turned around and headed right back to the bedroom where Gavin continued to lie quietly in. Gavin’s eyes were closed and for a moment Michael actually thought he was asleep, but then he knocked once on the open door and Gavin’s eyes were fluttering open seconds later.

At the sight of Michael, Gavin abruptly sat up, the clear confusion written across his face. It was… cute, Michael would admit. With that smile of his softening into something less devious and something a lot more friendly and inviting, he stepped forward.

“I was right in front of the door when I realized…” he stopped walking once he reached the end of the bed, and he placed his hand on the sheets as he leaned forward. Gavin was staring intently at him, his bright green eyes never daring to look elsewhere, not even for a second. Michael’s smile widened, “… I don’t want to be alone on Christmas, either.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Hot and heavy breathing, echoes of each other’s names in the forms of moans, fingers entangling in hair and even pulling at times (depending on who was in control), teeth biting down on bare skin, and screams of absolute bliss as they fell flat against one another. That was just how a typical night for Michael and Gavin usually went ever since that Christmas morning (which they spent doing the exact same thing). Michael even sometimes considered telling Gavin his real name, because if hearing Gavin moan “Mogar” was satisfying, he wondered how amazing that moan would sound if it were “Michael”. But Michael wasn’t about to go _that_ far with Geoff’s employee.

For a long while, they only met at Gavin’s place, because Michael was also not going to risk showing Gavin where he lived. So, if he had to explain how exactly they ended up at Michael’s penthouse one night after deciding to meet up at a nightclub for a change, he wouldn’t be able to. Of course they had a little too much to drink and Michael’s place happened to be closer than Gavin’s, but even in his drunken state Michael could still comprehend what a stupid idea it was to let Gavin into his place.

And yet, he allowed it to happen anyway. And again… and again.

From that night on, Michael’s place was where their rendezvous continued. Michael considered the pros: 1. Geoff and the other Fake AH Crew members had no idea where Michael lived, so there wasn’t any worry of Geoff or someone else randomly showing up at Gavin’s while they were together. 2. Michael didn’t have to be the one getting up to leave in the mornings. 3. Gavin looked _damn good_ underneath his silk sheets.

It was sickening, really, how fucking satisfied and _proud_ Michael was each time Gavin pulled away to fall asleep, because he just kept imagining the look on Geoff’s face when he finally found out. He sometimes also wondered—was he really doing all of this for _one_ laugh? Was it even worth it? It was a long running joke that only he knew about… for now.

He considered the pros again: 1. He was also getting good sex out of it, so there was that. 2. Gavin was really nice to look at, especially in the mornings when the sun was starting to poke through the curtains and it made his skin-… no, he was just nice looking. 3. Well, it wasn’t _terrible_ not always being alone for once.

At times, he found himself wondering what Gavin was really getting out of all this. He knew Gavin was quite fond of Geoff, because there were times when Gavin wouldn’t immediately fall asleep, so he would talk on and on about absolutely anything that crossed his mind, and a lot of the times it would be about Geoff and how they became acquainted. The stories were always cut short due to the fact that Gavin’s eyelids would grow much too heavy for him to finish, but putting each of those little stories together, Michael was able to put together the whole story.

Gavin and his family moved into Los Santos when he was nineteen. His parents were abusive, but that wasn’t something Gavin openly confessed; it was merely something Michael gathered from the way Gavin shuddered at bringing them up and the endless mention of “never wanting to be home when _they_ were”. Gavin accidentally stumbled upon a robbery at a store and saw Geoff’s face, so Geoff threatened him to ensure he kept his mouth shut about seeing his identity. Gavin kept his promise. They didn’t see each other again for another two years.

Gavin was practically living on the streets by the time they did meet again. Geoff remembered him, but Gavin didn’t quite recognize him, because Geoff was dressed completely different and had a moustache. Geoff offered to buy him lunch. Gavin, having not eaten a decent meal in days, easily agreed. They talked. They got along well. Geoff promised to take care of him and was still living up to that promise to this day.

So, Michael couldn’t see why Gavin would continue sleeping around with Michael when Gavin knew _very well_ of Geoff’s hatred toward Michael—or rather, Mogar. Gavin was blatantly betraying Geoff and he didn’t seem to mind, despite loving and respecting the man as much as he apparently did. But Michael always pushed the wonder aside, because it was none of his business and he shouldn’t care to know. And he didn’t care!

He was just in it for the sex and the eventual laugh.

Whatever the fuck Gavin was in it for… well, that was Gavin’s problem. Not his.

 

 ~~~~~~~~

 

“Geoff, don’t you think it’s about time to take down that Christmas tree?”

Geoff furrowed his eyebrows as he looked over at the lanky boy with black framed glasses standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Geoff scrunched up his nose at him, “It’s almost December again, Ray.”

“Man, it’s barely February.”

“You and Gavin were the ones to convince to go all out with the decorations this time, so I did. Now you take them down if they bother you so much.”

Ray snorted and rolled his eyes, but he jumped slightly when he felt a sudden presence next to him and a whisper that said, “The mistletoe is still up near the kitchen if you wanted to meet me there later.” Ray turned his head to find Ryan standing there, smiling at him in the way only Ray knew too well.

Ray quickly looked away from Ryan and over at Geoff to make sure Geoff hadn’t heard a thing. But Geoff was too indulged in whatever was so interesting about those papers he was looking over. Ray sighed in relief and nudged Ryan out into the hallway of the penthouse they only used for meetups and to discuss business.

Once Ray was sure they were out of earshot of Geoff, he spoke, “Perfect timing.”

Ryan chuckled lightly. “I wouldn’t have said anything if he was actually paying attention.” Ray opened his mouth, ready to respond with a witty comeback, but he was cut off by Ryan’s lips against his. And he forgot what he was even going to say.

Gavin turned the corner into the hallway and skidded to an immediate stop at the sight of them. He was going to quickly walk away and pretend he didn’t see anything, like always because that’s what a good friend he was, but this time, he couldn’t help but watch them a bit. In a totally not creepy way…

Well, he didn’t mean for it to be creepy. It was just the way one of Ray’s hands found its way onto Ryan’s cheek and how Ryan was smiling softly against the kiss, so evidently lost in Ray’s taste that had Gavin, for the first time since he figured out about their little secret romance, feeling… envious. Of course what Ray and Ryan wasn’t perfect, because it did have to be secret from Geoff.

Geoff was a man with a big heart, one that was filled with love for his friends—his crew. He loved Gavin, Ray, Ryan, and Jack. And he loved their allies who helped them out on their biggest missions. He was a good man, but he had one specific rule within the crew: never fall in love.

Now, that rule was only created when he first noticed the eyes Ray and Ryan made at each other. He was forced to sit them all done to explain _why_ it was a bad idea to fall in love, not just with each other but in general, when they were in the line of business that they were in. No matter how good they were at what they did, there was just no telling what could happen tomorrow. One little slip up and it could be over. So, it was better to just not fall in love. It was better to spare the heartbreak, just in case. But it wasn’t so easy for Ray and Ryan to pretend like the attraction wasn’t there. Geoff had tried helping them by splitting them up during jobs to keep them apart a little more, and he _thought_ he had succeeded.

That was seven months ago.

Ray and Ryan didn’t think Geoff would murder them or get utterly angry at them for breaking the rule, but they preferred to just not say anything to him at all. It was kind of disgusting the way those two looked at each other when Geoff wasn’t around, like they could see the entire universe in each other’s eyes and they were mesmerized by it. They were in love. Gavin had heard them utter the words to one another from time to time, but he had never felt jealous, because he had never cared about having that kind of affection in his life. His job was the love of his life, anyway. 

But seeing Ray and Ryan now and how happy they looked together despite having to hide, Gavin frowned. 

How did it feel to hold someone with the urge to never stop smiling? How did it feel to _love_ someone?

Gavin wasn’t sure if he would ever fully understand it, but brown eyes, curly hair, and freckles kept coming to mind. Which was ridiculous. He and Mogar were just fucking around—literally. And Gavin sometimes _hated_ himself for doing this to Geoff so much that he considered never seeing Mogar again. But Mogar had a cute smile and made Gavin’s name sound like butter against his neck. He also had a tendency of curling up to Gavin in the middle of the night, and even though Gavin knew Mogar wasn’t aware he did that, he still liked it.

So, he stuck around; for the amazing shagging, the unknown and unspoken of cuddles, and just… the company. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he had a tendency of rambling to Mogar whenever he wasn’t quite ready to fall asleep, and even though Mogar hardly responded to anything he said, he could tell he was intently listening to him. And it was nice to be able to just talk on and on without being judged or told to shut up. Not that any of his friends did that, but he still couldn’t help feel like he bothered them at times from how much he would ramble on about a particular subject, even if they swore they weren’t annoyed by him.

Mogar never made him feel like he was annoying for talking about the same thing, over and over. Mogar would stare at Gavin the entire time with the softest gaze and quiet nods every now and so, to remind Gavin that it was okay to continue on until Gavin did manage to drift off.

Yeah, Mogar wasn’t at all who Gavin expected him to be. On the night of Christmas Eve, when they had met, Gavin had actually planned on following Mogar back to his place and spy on him from there. He wanted to report everything back to Geoff, because he had grown tired of seeing Geoff fuss over the _motherfucking curly haired son of a bitch that won’t fuck off_. Finding Mogar didn’t take as much time as he feared it would. He knew how Mogar looked from the photos Geoff had of him—mostly taken by the journalist around the city who loved to write their stories about anyone who caused trouble for Los Santos.

So when he had turned on a street and spotted the familiar auburn curls, Gavin began to trail him. His confirmation that it was indeed Mogar was further indicated when he heard Mogar’s phone conversation with Geoff. By then, Gavin debated over how to go about this. His original plan was to follow him home to dig up any information he could, but then he decided how much more fun it would be to toy with him a little. And so, he spoke up.

_“What’s so funny, mate?”_

Gavin knew how Mogar looked already, but he had never seen him in person, so when Mogar turned and gave Gavin a perfect view of his entire face, Gavin was momentarily at a loss for words. This was really _him_? This was the man who taunted Geoff in every possible way? The one who easily made a name for himself within Los Santos because of his ability to cause chaos and disappear or sneak by without anyone noticing for days.

But Mogar had such a baby face, _freckles_ , playful curly hair, and a _dimple_. He was simply all kinds of adorable and Gavin found himself intrigued by this. But if it hadn’t been for the little stunt Mogar had attempted with his gun, Gavin would have still gone through with his plan somehow.

Perhaps a part of him was just… a little turned on by the entire situation, and he just hadn’t been able to help himself. And now, a few months later, they were still doing the same thing. And maybe he liked it a little too much sometimes.

Gavin shook his head and finally walked off, as he should have in the first place. So, he was craving a little affection from someone. It wasn’t a big deal. He was sure he would be over it within a few days and back to his normal self where he didn’t care about romance or wanting to hold someone close.

A ridiculous idea then came to mind, one of which made him scoff and roll his eyes at himself for ever allowing that kind of idea spring up. Mogar did snuggle up to him unconsciously. Whether it be because he would get cold throughout the night and would curl up to the warmest thing, or because that was just how he was whenever someone slept with him. If it were the latter, would that mean Mogar genuinely did enjoy cuddling from time to time when he was awake and just attempted to hide it?

… Was Gavin really considering cuddling _Mogar_ , actual cuddling that wasn’t one-sided and unknown, after sex just to get it out of his system?

 

 ~~~~~~~

 

“ _Gavin_ ,” Michael shuddered, his face buried in the crook of Gavin’s neck and his hand resting on the back of Gavin’s head. Gavin proudly grinned as he pulled out of him and rolled off of him to lie beside him.

Michael took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a lazy smirk finding its way onto his face. He had to admit that he looked forward to these nights after particularly long and exhausting weeks of bullshit. Satisfied once again, his eyes started to fluttered shut. However, when he suddenly felt hair tickling the side of his face, his eyes shot wide open again.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He asked Gavin who was now curled up against him like some small child.

“S’not like you don’t do this to me,” Gavin mumbled sleepily. “And I like it.”

“ _What_?” Michael quickly pulled away from him, eyebrows furrowing. It was enough to get Gavin to look up at him, a slight pout on his face. “I… I’m going… um…” Michael broke the eye contact as he started to kick the sheets off him and throw his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood silently and only bent down to grab his pants off the floor, but he didn’t bother to put his shirt back on as he stumbled out of the room and into the kitchen.

 _Okay… okay… I think this has finally gone too far_ , he thought to himself, _Gavin’s getting_ way _too fucking comfortable in my home. Let’s just get this laugh over with… tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow sounds good._

After pouring himself a glass of whiskey, Michael made his way out onto his balcony. The cool air was bitter against his bare chest and back, but somehow it felt absolutely incredible and refreshing. _This should have been over with a month ago_ , he thought as he chugged half his drink down. _I hate to fucking say it, but I was starting to get too used to having him around. Oh, god damnit. Yeah, he has to fucking go. Now._

“Sorry about that, love,” Gavin’s voice suddenly appeared. Michael nearly dropped the glass in his hand as he spun around to face him. “Wasn’t my intentions to make you uncomfortable. I can leave if you’d like.” It was then that Michael realized Gavin was actually already fully dressed.

And he sighed. “Yeah, maybe it’s better if you do, Gav.”

Gavin’s face seemed to fall at that, though he quickly recovered himself and nodded. “I’m sorry about- wait… what did you just call me?”

Michael blinked and shrugged. “ _Gavin_?”

“No, you said ‘Gav’. You’ve never called me that. You sometimes don’t even address me by name. I’ve only ever heard my friends call me ‘Gav’.”

“Oh, _okay_? So I fucking shortened your name, big deal! It’s not something that’s unheard of,” Michael practically barked out, looking away from Gavin to chug the rest of his drink down. Despite himself, Gavin smiled.

“Goodnight, Mogar,” Gavin softly said. Michael didn’t dare look back at him again; he merely listened to the sounds of Gavin’s footsteps getting further and further away, followed by the front door opening and closing.

That’s when he allowed himself to frown deeply as he whispered, “Night, Gav.”

 _Tomorrow_ , he reminded himself.

 

 ~~~~~~

 

But tomorrow never happened.

It was over a week later that the two saw each other again.

Gavin had considered dropping everything between him and Mogar by just never going back until Mogar realized their little—whatever it was that they had between them—was officially over. Except… Gavin didn’t want it to end that way, and he figured that out one night when he was struggling to fall asleep because stupid brown eyes and dimpled smile kept creeping into his thoughts. He thought about how it felt to be kissed by Mogar like kissing him was something Mogar needed to do. He thought about much he liked falling asleep next to him. And his heart pounded excitedly as he thought back to the few times he had woken up to find Mogar staring at him with a small smile.

Okay, fine. _Fine_. Gavin had let himself make the biggest mistake of all: becoming quite fond of Mogar. And not just for the sex. He realized he wanted to know Mogar. He wanted to just talk and hang out casually with him whenever they both could. He wanted to make Mogar laugh and smile as much as he could, because there was nothing more lovely than a glimpse of Mogar’s happiness.

So, on that night, he dragged himself out of bed and out to the penthouse he had grown to know well enough. He considered ringing the doorbell or knocking, but then he remembered exactly who he was. He was Gavin Free, a proud member of the Fake AH Crew. No locks intimidated him, and he definitely didn’t need permission to get into somewhere he wanted to be. Although, he did have to wonder how Mogar would react to this. Well, if he ended up kicked out in the end, then so be it. But he had to try.

Once the front door’s lock clicked open and the door slowly swung open, Gavin mentally thanked Ray those annoying lock picking lessons. Gavin took a deep breath before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Everything sounded uncomfortably quiet that he cringed at any little sound he made as he walked toward the bedroom.

Reaching the door, Gavin gently grabbed the doorknob and turned it, but he froze for a moment as he considered everything that was wrong with what he was doing. For someone who has done worse things in his life than breaking into someone’s home, he could hardly understand why he was so worried about this.

And then he actually opened the door and walked inside to find Mogar in his bed… but he wasn’t alone. Right next to him, right where Gavin usually lied, was a young woman. Though she was completely covered by the sheets, Gavin still turned away.

“ _Gavin_?” He heard Mogar ask, his voice a whisper. Gavin forced himself to glance back at the bed. Mogar was sitting up now, looking at him with such a concerned and confused expression. And Gavin couldn’t help but sigh in defeat as he hurried back out into the hallway.

He heard the bed squeak and footsteps frantically moving around until he heard Mogar call out to him again.

“Gavin, _hey_!”

Gavin glanced over his shoulder to find Mogar walking out of the bedroom in nothing but his boxers and his hair utterly disheveled. This had been a mistake. Apparently making mistakes was all Gavin was perfect at lately.

“I didn’t know we were seeing each other tonight,” Mogar started, but Gavin held up his hand to stop him.

“We… um, we weren’t. I just…” he trailed off, because of all things to explain himself out of—this one left him speechless. Mogar waited a bit, but when it was clear, at least to him, that Gavin wasn’t going to say anything else, he opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry you had to see that-”

“I’m sorry I walked in there-”

They were speaking over one another and abruptly stopped once they realized this. Gavin sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor, and Mogar hurried up to him and closed the distance they previously had between them.

“We can make up for lost times tomorrow night? How does that sound?”

Gavin’s frown deepened even further. Sex was all it was ever going to be between him and Mogar, wasn’t it? Either that or just nothing. Gavin couldn’t tell which was worse. He shrugged. “Yeah,” he simply answered.

“Can you do me a favor, though?”

He looked up at Mogar at that, and nodded. Mogar’s lips curled up into that adorable small smile of his, the one Gavin only had the pleasure of seeing a few times if he woke up at the right time.

“Come by an hour earlier,” Mogar told him. Gavin raised an eyebrow questioningly. “

“W-what?”

“Don’t ask. Just… yeah?” _Please_ , Gavin imagined Mogar saying instead, because he could practically hear the slight begging within that sentence. 

“Okay,” he agreed with another nod and Mogar’s face brilliantly brightened at his answer. Gavin smiled in return, a smile that quickly faltered when he felt Mogar’s lips against his. It was a swift and gentle kiss, nothing compared to the ones they exchanged during their heated moments. And Gavin… well, he didn’t know what to say when Mogar pulled back.

“What… what was that for?” He managed to ask. Mogar blinked and averted his eyes, looking as lost over the small situation as Gavin felt.

“Um, I-uh… I don’t know,” Mogar admitted. But somehow, they both felt as if they did know, and it was why Gavin left with another “goodnight” and a promise to see Mogar the next night.

 

~~~~~~~

 

Even as he set the table and made sure none of the food was burning to a crisp, Michael still had no fucking idea what he was trying to do. Here he was making dinner for himself and _Gavin_ while making sure the table look as nice as it could possibly look, because for some reason that mattered a lot to him.

And when that doorbell rang, he jumped.

“Oh, shit, he’s here,” he breathed out, his stomach actually growing ridiculously _warm_ at the thought of seeing Gavin. After one look over at himself in the hallway mirror, Michael rushed to the door and took a deep breath before opening it up.

Gavin stood on the other side, grinning crookedly at him. Michael moved aside, allowing him in, but he waited a bit to curse under his breath before shutting the door and joining Gavin in the kitchen.

“What’s going on here?” Gavin wondered out loud as he inspected the area and inhaled the amazing smell coming from the oven.

Michael bit down on his lower lip. “Um, uh… I was just about to have dinner.”

“Why did you tell me to come here earlier, then?”

“Because… uh, so we can… start earlier. But uh… my dinner ran late, so… I mean, if you’re hungry, you can, you know you can _join_ me,” Michael paused when he noticed Gavin was now inspecting the table, specifically the second plate. “Yeah, I set out another plate… just in case you did show up when I was eating and I wasn’t going to be fucking _rude_ or anything. So, why don’t you join me? I think I’m, uh, a pretty good cook. You probably already ate, though…” _God damnit, just shut the fuck already_.

Gavin let out a light laugh as he turned away from the table to face Michael. “If this is your way of asking someone on a date, you’re awfully terrible.”

Michael scoffed. “This isn’t a fucking date, you idiot. It’s a coincidence.” But then Gavin smirked knowingly at him and Michael rolled his eyes. “I should get credit for trying. I’ve never done this before.”

“This is so strange,” Gavin spoke up again, shaking his head.

“What is?” Michael asked.

“That the man Geoff, my boss and mentor, hates passionately wants me to have dinner with him.”

“He’s also the man you’ve been fucking for a few months now. What’s the difference?”

Gavin merely smiled again. “Well, Mogar, I’m happy to be on this date with you.”

“Uh, you can… you can just call me Michael. That’s… that’s my actual name.”

“ _Michael_ ,” Gavin drawled out, testing the way the name sounded coming from him. Michael snorted.

“You make it sound so stupid.”

“I think it’s lovely. _Michael_. It suits you.”

“What about you?” Michael challenged, arms folding across his chest.

“What about me?” Gavin blinked, tilting his head to the side.

“What’s your real name?”

Gavin laughed a little harder this time that Michael squinted his eyes at him, a bit annoyed and a bit confused.

“Gavin _is_ my real name. I never gave you a fake one.”

At this, Michael’s entire expression softened. “Wait… are you serious? Why would you let me know your real name right from the start?”

“If I’m being honest with you, I have no idea. I should know better and I do, but you… I was fascinated by you, Michael. I still am,” Gavin spoke as he stepped closer to Michael. Michael wanted to roll his eyes and tell him to shut up already so they could eat, except Gavin caught him off guard by hugging him. Michael stiffened, unable to make himself move or say anything. When he realized, however, that Gavin was also not moving, he slowly wrapped his arms around, and he gave Gavin a gentle squeeze, because _holy crap_ … when was the last time he had even hugged someone?

He couldn’t remember even if he tried. But damn did it feel good. And the fact that it was _Gavin_ he was hugging made it all the more comforting. He didn’t understand how something so innocent could make him feel like everything was right in the world… in his world.

He almost couldn’t let go.

Almost.

 

~~~~~~~

 

It was the constant smiles that would appear on Gavin’s face whenever no one spoke to him that sparked curiosity in Ray. Gavin had been acting different and Ray wasn’t about to let him leave without getting some answers, especially with those new marks all around Gavin’s neck. Ray knew Gavin and he knew Gavin wasn’t the type to just let _anyone_ leave marks on his skin.

“So, who is it?” Ray practically demanded as he blocked Gavin’s only exit out of the den. Gavin’s eyebrows twitched together and Ray wanted to laugh at his poor attempt of acting like he didn’t know what he meant.

“No, don’t act stupid with me, Gav. You’re seeing someone. You’ve _been_ seeing someone and you haven’t bothered to talk to me about it. _Me_.”

“It’s… no… I’m not-” but Gavin was cut off by Ray tapping his neck with a finger and narrowing his eyes. Gavin pulled away from him and brought his own hand up to cover the right side of his neck, as if that would do any help. His mind immediately drifted back to last night… in Michael’s lap, his arms tightly wrapped around him, his mouth wide open as he continuously bounced on him, and barely comprehending the nibbles and sucking on his neck.

His face grew warm at the memory, so much that he grinned lopsidedly and Ray groaned.

“You know about… _my_ situation and I’m not forcing you to tell me anything. I’m just surprised-”

“His name is Michael,” Gavin blurted. Ray’s eyes widened.

“Oh, um... _Michael_? Well, okay, how did you two meet?”

Gavin chewed gently on his bottom lip. “Just happened to run into him one night and it went from there.”

“Wait, how long exactly?”

“Christmas Eve.”

Ray’s eyes widened even further, if that were possible. It was more comical than anything at this point. “It’s the middle of May now, Gavin! Are you _serious_?” Gavin merely nodded. “Oh, man. So this is… this is really _something_ , isn’t it? I mean, does he… does he know about your… _lifestyle_?”

Gavin blinked. “Yes, he does.”

Ray raised an eyebrow slowly. “And he’s just… _okay_ with it? He doesn’t worry? I know with Ryan and me… well, we make sure to look after each other, but your guy-”

“Is perfectly okay with it, because he… he does… the same.”

“Oh, shit, really?” Ray’s face brightened with excitement and his stance was completely relaxed now. “Do I know who he is, then? I don’t know any Michaels, but maybe I’ve heard the stories of the shit he’s done.”

“I think you know him very well,” Gavin mumbled, almost hoping Ray couldn’t hear him, but of course Ray heard. Instead of asking, however, Ray waited patiently for Gavin to elaborate. Gavin swallowed the lump forming in his throat and sighed. “You don’t know him by Michael, but you do know him as…” he trailed off, but that was all he needed to say.

The hesitation and even the slight guilt in his tone told Ray enough.

“Mogar,” Ray breathed out, his shoulders slumping. Gavin nodded. “Wow, Gavin… for being Geoff’s favorite-”

“I’m not his favorite-”

“-I seriously am surprised that you would actually get yourself involved with _him_.”

“He’s not what you think, Ray. He’s… he’s…”

“You don’t have to explain it to me, Gavin. I think I get it. You, at first, couldn’t understand what it was that I saw in Ryan. All I know about Michael is what Geoff has told us… that he’s a little, cocky piece of shit,” Ray said, though he smiled sadly afterward. “But hey, since it’s him, be careful, alright? If my secret with Ryan gets out to Geoff, well that’s probably just going to be an annoying and long lecture. I can’t imagine what would happen if he found out about you and Michael.”

Gavin agreed, though he didn’t know if there was anything to really worry about. Ever since that night of their first dinner together, nothing too much had changed between him and Michael. Sure they hung out at different times during the days now, played video games together and confided in one another over certain ideas and situations, but so what? They also didn’t always have sex whenever they were together at night. Sometimes they just slept, snuggled up in each other’s arms, and woke up pretending they were repulsed by their closeness by teasing one another.

But they weren’t _that_ serious. Gavin was definitely certain Michael didn’t consider them to be anything other than two idiots with benefits. Gavin was fine with that.

He was.

Or so he wanted to believe.

 

~~~~~~~

 

In the middle of July, on a dreadfully hot evening, the Fake AH Crew were out on a particular job. And while Gavin was left behind the scenes, in one of their vans that was parked miles back from the actual scene. He was moderating the security cameras located around the areas and keeping each of them up-to-date through walkie-talkies with everything he saw that could corrupt their entire plan. He was completely indulged in watching the area Ray was scouting to hear the back door of the van open and close.

“Anyone behind me, Gav?” Ray casually asked. Gavin picked up his walkie-talkie to respond.

“You’re fine, mate. Keep on going,” he said just as felt hands resting on his shoulders and he gasped, letting go of the “talk” button. He quickly spun around in his chair and his arms flailed as lips were pressed against his.

“ _Gavin_?” He heard Ray frantically ask.

“What was that? What happened?” It was Geoff now.

“I heard that, too. Gavin, what’s going on?” Jack questioned.

“I’ll go check on him,” Ryan offered. That’s when Gavin pushed Michael away and pressed down on the ‘talk’ button.

“I’m fine, lads. I’m fine!” He almost sounded a little too uneasy. “Just fell off my chair.” Michael giggled at that and Gavin slapped his hand against his mouth to silence him.

“You fucking idiot,” Geoff laughed.

“Why am I not surprised?” Ryan sighed.

Gavin set his talkie down, jumping up from his seat and enveloping his arms around Michael. Michael kissed the side of his head before pulling back and looking him in the eyes.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here, Michael?” Gavin asked in a whisper, despite the fact that he knew none of the other guys could hear them now.

 “I was going for a walk and remembered about you being here.”

“Well, I love seeing you, but Geoff is supposed to meet up with me here soon. It’s not safe for you.”

Michael smiled sweetly and nodded. “Alright, alright. I’ll get the fuck out of here. Don’t get into too much trouble,” he winked. Gavin wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and rolled his eyes.

“Goodbye, Michael,” he tried keeping a stern voice, but with the way Michael was looking at him, he couldn’t resist smiling. With that, however, Michael turned and hurried out of there, and Gavin sighed longingly as he sat back down in his seat.

Back to business, though. He spun around in his seat to face the cameras once more and was pleased to find that everything in everyone’s section was going as smoothly as they could hope, especially for there still being daylight out.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Gavin gave each of them their next instructions and waited until they completed the step before moving on. He was careful with watching every one of them and every move they made, and made sure to look out for the people surrounding them. He was best at this, which was why he always happily decided to stay off the field and help them out this way. Of course he did enjoy his fair share of physical action as well, though.

As he looked over Jack’s area, he prepared to speak into the talkie, but he was caught off guard by each of his screens shutting off. For a moment, Gavin merely sat there with his mouth agape, utterly baffled at the sight of nothing in front of him.

“Alright, Gavin. I’m ready for my next-” and then Jack’s signal was cut short.

Gavin’s breath hitched in his throat as he fumbled with his talkie until he managed to calmly press the “talk” button. “J-Jack?” Only static. He quickly began messing around with the small device, hoping to find something that looked out of place that was causing the bad signal that he could easily fix.

The backdoors flew open and he looked over to see Geoff standing out there, eyebrows furrowed and lips parted. Gavin frowned and held up his device, allowing Geoff to hear the static coming from it. Geoff nodded, understanding, but that didn’t cool the anger brewing up inside him as he jumped up into the van to investigate whatever the hell could have happened to the screens.

“Someone sabotaged us,” he grumbled, the expression on his face hardening by the second.

“Bloody _hell_! We were almost done!” Gavin tossed his dead talkie aside, his anger slowly matching up with the one clearly painted on Geoff’s face.

“Oh, we’ll figure out who it was,” Geoff spoke again through his clenched teeth and Gavin nodded, equally as determined.

Gavin hadn’t planned on going over to see Michael that night, but after their failed job earlier, he felt he deserved to blow off some steam. And what better way than to have an adorable Jersey boy kissing him down from his neck. He had hoped just seeing Michael would cool his anger down, but from the moment Michael opened the door for him, he hadn’t been able to shut up about what had occurred.

Michael stood aside, listening carefully to Gavin’s rant and agreeing with him on everything, but Michael also couldn’t help but be a little bit amused at how much more British Gavin seemed to be when he was angry. It was most likely due to the endless amount of words Gavin was using that Michael never thought could exist and how much more pronounced Gavin’s accent was.

But as soon as Gavin was done, with a loud huff and after running his fingers through his wild hair in frustration, Michael looked at him sympathetically.

“Hey, if I find out who that asshole was before you do, I swear I’ll kill them for you.”

Gavin crossed his arms and for the first time since the incident happened, he smiled. Because Michael had that kind of effect on him, and as much as he wished he could ignore the feeling, Gavin really liked it.

He really liked Michael and everything about the man. Michael had a lovely charm to him, one that left Gavin thankful that their paths had finally crossed, and wishing that perhaps their paths could have crossed sooner. Because although his job and everything he did with his friends made him happy, the happiness he felt with Michael was something completely different than that, and he was admittedly growing scared of what that exactly meant. 

 

~~~~~~

 

_December 24 th, 2015_

“Michael Vincent Jones.”

Michael slowed his steps at the sound of his full name until he came to a halt. He was in Los Santos… there was absolutely _nobody_ who could know his entire name like that. Except for…

Michael looked over his shoulder and inhaled sharply as he spotted Geoff standing a few feet away. He swallowed roughly and fully turned himself around, forcing a grin onto his face. “Geoff!” He greeted brightly. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

“I _really_ have to praise you on a job well done, Michael,” Geoff sarcastically responded, moving closer to Michael. “But I’ve figured it out. Every little thing that has gone wrong with me and my crew this year has been because of _you_. And for a while, I really couldn’t figure out how you knew where and what we were going to do each and every single time, but then I heard Gavin talking. Gavin… you know _him_ , right?”

Michael averted his eyes, his grin immediately fading. Geoff smirked wickedly.

_“Oh no. You’ve got a stupid look on your face. What’s wrong?” Ray had asked Gavin as they stood alone in the kitchen after the others had cleaned up._

_Gavin smiled as he looked down at his hands resting on the counter. “I think I’m in love with him, Ray.”_

_“_ What _?”_

 _“I can’t hide it anymore, Ray. And I know it’s terrible… me being in love with_ Mogar _of all people, but if you knew him, you would know what I mean.”_

“You’ve been sneaking around with Gavin for a year now. You didn’t think I would never find out, did you?”

“Hey, I-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Michael obliged and Geoff closed the rest of the space between them. “I’m not just angry that he’s been sneaking around with you, but that I was able to _hear_ the way he feels about you, and those… those are _real_ feelings. But you… all you’ve been doing is using him to get to me. And that...” Geoff narrowed his eyes, “… that just won’t sit well with me. You can mess with me all you want, Michael, but I will _not_ let you break his heart.”

“I don’t plan on breaking his heart. I _do_ care about him.”

Geoff laughed, loud and humorless that Michael flinched. “You’re going to have do a lot more than just saying it for me to believe _you_.” Michael opened his mouth to respond, but hands were grabbing him by the arms and he looked left and right to see two other men with masks on.

Michael growled as he stared forward at Geoff, but his view of everything was taken away as a bag was placed over his head.

 

~~~~~~

 

When hands finally quite fumbling with him and the bag over his head was removed, he found himself tied to a chair in the middle of a small room. No windows, hard cement walls, and only one door in the corner that was currently opened and blocked by a man still wearing a black skull mask.

Geoff and a bearded man were standing in front of him. It was then that he realized how drowsy he was and how he could not remember how exactly they dragged him to this place.

“What the fuck… did you guys do to me?” He asked weakly, his eyes threatening to shut again.

“Just gave you a little something to make sure you wouldn’t struggle,” the man with the mask answered. Michael blinked hard.

“Oh, shit,” he whispered.

“I’m going to need you to look me in the eyes and answer me this: what were your true intentions with Gavin?” Geoff demanded, and he snapped his fingers in front of Michael’s face when Michael refused to look at him. But Michael finally did.

“I just wanted to fuck him so hard that he couldn’t walk the next day, and then have him do the same to me. And you know what? We did. Over and over.”

“Wrong answer,” Geoff grumbled, picking up a small remote and pressing a button.

“It’s the only answer-AHH!” Michael screamed out in agony as he felt shocks run painfully through him.

“Try again.”

Michael widened his eyes as he looked himself over on the chair he was sitting in. “Where the fuck am I?” He asked in a panic, his voice cracking with the last two words.

“What. Were. Your. Intentions. With. Gavin?”

Michael attempted to shift in his seat, but when that failed, he sighed quietly and looked up at Geoff with furrowed eyebrows.

 

~~~~~

 

Back at the penthouse, Ray sat with Lindsay Tuggey and Jeremy Dooley as the three of them watched the interrogation there. They had the perfect view of only Michael, because of where the camera had been positioned, but they could hear Geoff, Jack, and Ryan just as well.

Ray was constantly shaking his leg as he watched the look of terror on Michael’s face as he was shocked in his seat, because all he could think about was how Gavin would feel if he were watching this. But apparently that wasn’t something he had to imagine.

“Lindsay? Jeremy? What are you two doing here today?” Gavin suddenly asked, causing the three of them to jump in their seats and look over at him.

“Try again,” Geoff’s voice came clearly from the screen behind their heads. Gavin blinked, a bit of confusion flashing across his features, but it wasn’t the first time Geoff interrogated anyone. Gavin just couldn’t tell why his friends, especially Ray, were staring at him like they had just done one of the worst things ever possible. They weren’t the ones interrogating whatever poor soul had pushed Geoff’s limit this time-

“Where the fuck am I?” Gavin froze, gasping as he recognized the voice asking that very well.

“What…” he tried before he simply rushed forward to see for himself. Ray jumped up from his chair and tried holding him back, telling him that it was nothing for him to see, but once Gavin got a glimpse of Michael sitting there, tied up and in clear pain, Ray’s attempts were useless.

“WHAT IS GEOFF DOING TO HIM?!” Gavin shouted.

“Gav”

“WHY IS HE HURTING HIM?! WHY IS HE HURTING _MICHAEL_?!”

“What. Were. Your. Intentions. With. Gavin?” Geoff’s question shut Gavin up then as Gavin tried to comprehend whether or not he had heard that correctly.

“Wait… wh-what?” Gavin asked Ray quietly, his eyes beginning to sting.

“Gav… Geoff figured out who’s been sabotaging us lately… and well, he tied it all back to Michael. And he, he may have overheard you telling me that you were in love with him. So… so, now he’s sure Michael’s just been…” Ray paused as he pursed his lips, but there was no better way to say it. “Geoff thinks Michael’s just been using you to get to him.”

And Ray never thought he could physically see someone’s heart break through the look on their face, but Gavin was proving it to him then and there.

“I’m so sorry,” Ray whispered.

Gavin turned his attention back to the screen even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle whatever was going to happen next. Michael licked his lips and shrugged.

“I wanted you to find out that he and I were sleeping around together, just so I can laugh in your face about it, but then I changed my mind.”

Gavin and Ray raised their eyebrows at that, intrigued. Lindsay turned up the volume a little higher and each of them gathered closer.

“What the fuck do you mean you changed your mind?” Geoff asked, leaning in closer to Michael that he was seen on camera.

“I mean I started actually _liking_ him, okay?”

“Don’t bullshit me,” Geoff scolded, pressing the button again. Gavin jumped at the cry that came from Michael, and he had no choice but to look away, because he couldn’t bare the sight of Michael with his mouth wide open and his eyes watering from how painful the shocks were.

When it was over, he could hear Michael panting shakily. Gavin took a deep breath before looking at the screen once more. There was sweat on Michael’s forehead now and it was damping a bit of his curls.

“Michael,” Gavin mouthed, bringing his hand up to touch the screen.

“Let’s leave him for the night. We’ll be back in the morning, Jack,” Geoff spoke as he started to walk toward the door, out of frame again. Michael gaped after the two men and began to struggle with the ropes tied tightly around his wrists and the arms of the chair.

“Wait, no. Stop!” He begged. “S-stop! Geoff! Can I AT LEAST _SEE_ HIM BEFORE YOU KILL ME?! _GEOFF_!” Michael continued to move around in the chair as much as he could, but nothing was helping him in the slightest. And then finally, he just stopped, letting out a loud, frustrated and whiny groan.

 _He wants to see me…_ Gavin stumbled backwards before spinning around to run toward the door.

“Gavin, wait, where are you _going_?!” Ray called after him.

Gavin didn’t want to wait around for Geoff to return and give him the full explanation as to why he was “sure” everything was Michael’s fault. No, Gavin could already see how that was possible, but he didn’t want to dwell on it, because Michael wouldn’t use him for so long. He _knew_ Michael and he knew that every little kiss, every secret, and every hug they had shared between them had been genuine.

Which was why he wasn’t going to allow Michael to be punished any further.

 

~~~~~

The door opened and Michael didn’t bother to look up. He didn’t care to see who it was. Perhaps it was morning already and it just Geoff and Jack back to shock him for more answers to pointless questions. They were going to try to make him admit to things he didn’t even do. Although, now he kind of wished he would have.

He really fucking wished he would really been the one who sabotaged Geoff’s stupid plans and jobs. Oh, he would have felt so proud of himself. So damn proud.

Michael then pouted a little, though.

Because no… he wouldn’t have. He wouldn’t have due to a certain British man who had officially become the only person Michael could say he truly cared about. And doing something that could potentially hurt Gavin was not something Michael would take pleasure in going through with.

Not anymore.

So when he did end up looking up at the person who had entered, because their prolonged silence had practically forced him to, he could feel his own face lighting up to find that it was Gavin. Gavin was proudly standing in front of him, grey button down with the sleeves rolled up, tight black skinny jeans, perfectly black shoes, and sunglasses that were probably worth more than anything else he had on. He looked just the way he had the first night they met: wealthy, gorgeous, confident, and powerful. Michael couldn’t resist grinning brightly up at him.

“Holy shit. He’s actually letting me see you?” Michael then asked.

In one swift move, Gavin removed the sunglasses off his face and Michael’s smile widened to see those sparkling green eyes once again. Even in the terribly dim lighting of the room those eyes looked amazing.

“Of course not, love,” Gavin answered, letting his glasses hang on his shirt where the top three buttons weren’t buttoned. “But he forgot one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s the one who taught me everything I know, so he should have expected me to do what I’m about to accomplish.”

Michael’s smile softened as he tried to figure out what the hell Gavin meant by that, but his question was answered as Gavin leaned forward, a small knife in hand. Michael idly wondered if Gavin had been holding that the entire time or if he had just taken it out of his pocket. Either way, he watched as Gavin carefully worked his way through the ropes. Moments later, Michael’s wrists were free and Michael quickly brought them up to massage them as he hissed through his teeth. Gavin did the same to the ropes around his ankles before standing up straight and apologizing to Michael.

“Wait, why are you-OW, HOLY FUCKING _SHIT_!” Michael screamed as Gavin pulled something sharp from the back of his neck. “What the _fuck_ was that, Gavin?!” Gavin held the thick needle in front of his face, but Michael’s attention was instantly drawn to the wire it was connected to.

“This was how Geoff was sending those shocks throughout your body. I’ve seen him do it a million times,” Gavin explained.

“How the… how the fuck does that really work?”

“Would you like the shortened answer or the long one? Either one is fine with me.”

Michael shook his head. “No, fuck it. Let’s just get out of here.”

“That is also fine with me,” Gavin smiled at him before slowly helping him up onto his feet. He was certain Michael was still a bit drowsy from the drugs injected into him earlier, and his theory was proven as Michael almost stumbled forward onto the floor. “Careful there, love.”

Michael huffed. “I didn’t realize I was that exhausted.”

“It’s not really your fault.” Gavin wrapped one of Michael’s arms around his neck so that Michael could lean on him as they walked out together. Michael happily did, though he also attempted not to put all of his weight on just Gavin.

As they made their way out of the room, Gavin could see the lying figure in the hall from his peripheral version, but he chose to ignore it. Michael didn’t seem to notice them anyway.

It took effort and patience, and a hell of a lot of threatening on an idiot that was willing to die over losing his car, but they had managed to get a car to drive back to Michael’s place. There was more effort and patience needed to get Michael up to his actual penthouse, because the more movements Michael made, the more he felt his head was spinning and throbbing all at once. Gavin was relieved once he finally got Michael to his bed, but much to his surprise, even with lack of energy, Michael managed to pull Gavin down with him.

And Gavin couldn’t even pretend to protest. He grinned as he got himself comfortable next to Michael and wrapped his arms around him. Michael was out within minutes and Gavin was left awake to wonder.

He wondered what Geoff would say and think when he saw what Gavin had done. He wondered if Geoff would try looking for him. He wondered if Geoff would be furious if he did succeed in finding them both. He wondered if Geoff would hate him and never want anything to do with again.

He wondered if this was worth those last possibilities.

Geoff had always been a father to him. So, for him to completely turn his back on Geoff for the sake of saving Geoff’s enemy’s life, a man he had accidentally fallen for?

But then he thought about the rule.

That stupid, dreaded rule.

Don’t fall in love.

It sounded like such a simple rule to live by and Gavin did understand why it was one not to break. Falling in love was risky when they did what they did.

But falling in love was also amazing… and beautiful, and everything Gavin never thought it could be. Falling in love was knowing the risks, knowing the consequences, and knowing _who_ you were falling for, and still being okay with it all. Falling in love was looking into a pair of warm brown eyes and knowing happiness could last.

For Gavin, falling in love was meeting Michael.

As Michael slept peacefully, Gavin gently ran his fingers through those soft auburn curls. He wasn’t sure how fast time was passing until he glanced over at the digital clock on Michael’s nightstand and saw the digits turn to 12:00AM.

The corners of Gavin’s lips rose.

Somewhere in Los Santos, he knew there was another particular pair of people snuggled up close to each other. A pair who didn’t deserve to hide the truth of their feelings, because it was their love and affection for one another that had inspired Gavin to stop holding back his own.

He knew they were probably sitting in front of a fireplace, drinking hot cocoa and mindlessly discussing what they planned on doing the following year.

 _Something stupid and fun_ , it was like Gavin could actually hear Ray saying that from miles away.

 _You say that every year_ , would be Ryan’s response, to which Ray would scoff at and say some witty remark to. _Yeah, I know. Like last year was dating you._

Or something along those lines. Gavin really did spend too much time with those two.

He smiled to himself at the thought before he saw it—in the corner of the room near the closet. A shiny, very small red bag with green tissue paper sticking out from it. Gavin couldn’t say why exactly he was so determined to go investigate it closer, but he was glad he did. He carefully stood from the bed and hurried over to the other side of the room.

The bag was light and Gavin almost hesitated reading the tag, because this gift was probably one that was given to Michael and he was completely violating Michael’s privacy. But then, as quickly as he could muster, Gavin turned the tag over and read over the sloppy written words: _To: Gav. From: Michael._

He could have sworn his heart fluttered. Michael actually got him something for Christmas. They never even bothered talking about spending the day together or anything of the sort, but even so, it was fitting. After all, it was Christmas Eve and day that brought them together in the first place. With a crooked grin on his face, Gavin quietly removed the tissue paper to reveal a small rectangle box inside which he then took it to find a pair of new aviators with gold frames. Just like the pair he had briefly mentioned wanting once before to Michael.

For what felt like a long while, Gavin merely stood there admiring those sunglasses. They were perfect. Not because they were the ones he wanted, but because Michael cared enough to get them for him. Michael cared enough to remember.

It only further proved to Gavin that Michael certainly hadn’t used him. Geoff was never wrong about anything, but Gavin was sorry to say that this time he was wrong. Perhaps Michael had been framed by someone who knew well of Geoff’s hatred for Michael. Something like that was bound to happen, because Geoff wasn’t Michael’s only enemy, and Geoff had quite a lot up his sleeve.

And so, Gavin set the bag and glasses back down and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. No messages or calls yet. Geoff was probably on the brink of sleep, still so unaware of what Gavin had done. After taking a deep breath, Gavin began to type in his message: _Geoff, I never wanted any of this to happen. Michael is innocent. I hope you can believe me. You know me better than anyone. I wouldn’t lie to you. I know Michael has done everything to get on your bad side and that you can’t stand to even see him, but I promise you he isn’t as horrible as the many other people we’ve had to deal with. I need you to understand that I didn’t help him escape to betray you. I would never betray you or go against you or any of the others. All of you are the only real family I’ve ever had and I would give my life for any of you._

_Just please understand that I love Michael, too. I tried not to. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him to begin with, I know, but I don’t consider it a mistake. I expected Michael to be awful and repulsing, but he was the absolute opposite. I also need you to know that, when we were together, he never once said anything terrible about you. I don’t think he would ever admit it, unless you two called it truce, but I do believe he respects you and the way you lead your crew. After all, you are one of the most fearful and most powerful people in the city._

_I’m so sorry, Geoff. Please don’t hate me._

Gavin pursed his lips as he pressed ‘send’.

Well, that was it. Geoff was either going to understand and talk to him thoroughly about it, or officially add Gavin to his list of “people to eventually kill”.

“Gavin?” He heard Michael tiredly ask. He turned around to see Michael sitting up slightly on the bed, propped up by his elbows. Gavin wandered back over to him and slowly sat himself down on the bed next to him.

Gavin then leaned in until their foreheads were practically toughing. “Merry Christmas, Michael.” Michael’s lips twitched upward.

“Merry Christmas, Gavin.” And Michael inched forward just a little more until their lips met. “I love you,” Michael mumbled against the kiss. Gavin had to pull away at that, unable to contain the wide smile forming on his face.

That smile, however, faltered when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. Michael furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down at the phone as Gavin quickly brought it up to check it.

Geoff – 12:20AM: _You’re a dumbass. You’re an actual fucking dumbass._ _It’s going to take a whole lot more than just that fucking novel you sent me to convince me that he’s worth saving. But I’m glad you’re happy. I really am. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Bring him too. I won’t kill him unless he tries something, I promise. Merry Christmas, buddy._

“’Bring him too’? What am I, a fucking dog?” Michael sarcastically commented, rolling his eyes. Gavin laughed. He quickly set his phone down on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around Michael, moving him gently down until they were both lying next to each other again.

“This is a good thing, Michael.”

“Yeah, but I kind of _liked_ having Geoff hate me.”

Now Gavin was the one rolling his eyes and Michael was laughing. After a bit, though, Gavin was smiling.

“I love you, too, Michael,” he whispered.

It didn’t take them long to fall asleep that night, and when Michael woke first in the morning, he smiled as he thought over everything again. Despite the fact that he was going to have to face Geoff once again, he felt amazing. He glanced to his left where Gavin was still asleep and unlike their first Christmas morning together, he didn’t plan to move from his spot.  

For one, this time they were in _his_ bed in _his_ place. But even if they weren’t, he would stay without a second thought.

Because he realized just how much he loved Christmas with Gavin right next to him.


End file.
